It is my honour to welcome the graduates and professors from the Faculty of Law Enforcement at the University of National Public Service. I especially welcome your family members, who raised you, taught you and supported you during your studies and preparations. We thank them for raising young people who, with their oath today, have committed themselves to the service of the country.
Honourable Oath-takers,
One of the high points in the life of any young person is the day when they become what they always wanted to be: when they reach the point which they have prepared for all their life, and when they can start the profession which they have chosen for themselves. Today you have risen even higher than that. Not only has every one of you obtained a degree, with which you can start work, but you have also taken an oath, and so you are now ready to enter service. Behind an oath there must be a person: a serious person within whom determination, perseverance and conviction are all at work; a person with a strong soul, a clear head, healthy self-respect, and a life based on solid foundations. Only such a person should take the oath. Today you have sworn on your integrity and conscience that you will pursue your profession for the benefit of the Hungarian nation, you will observe our laws and you will ensure that others also observe them; you have sworn that you will perform your duties even at the risk of your lives, that you will obey your superiors, and that you will responsibly exercise your duty of care to those serving under you. Grave words. Furthermore, with your oath you have also committed yourselves to preserving our justice system and our statehood of one thousand years’ standing. I congratulate you! There is no doubt in my mind that – above and beyond the need to earn a living – you have chosen this difficult vocation, which involves dangers, through love of Hungary, your homeland and nation, and our culture, and that you believe that these are important things which we must defend together. And you are right. Order is essential not only for the community: individuals are also only able to realise their plans and protect the results of their hard work on the safe and secure foundations of order.
Honourable Oath-takers,
The order that you will defend was born of freedom. Exercising their freedom, the Hungarian people decided what kind of country they wanted for themselves. We are all executors of that will. Whereas the Hungarian parliament – we Members of Parliament – adopts the laws that shape the framework for Hungarian freedom, the duty to ensure that those laws are observed falls to you. Where there is law there must also be duty, and freedom and security are preconditions for each other.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today 218 young Hungarian officers have taken their oaths and will start their service. Of these, 170 will serve in the Police Force, 18 in the National Tax and Customs Administration, 24 in the various agencies of the National Directorate General for Disaster Management, and 6 in the Prison Service. This is good news, because the Hungarian police force will become even more youthful, and you will become officers in a rejuvenated police force.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today the Hungarian people expect the Government and the Police to defend the country, families, our shared values and achievements from all external and internal threats. They expect that they need not fear for their safety, either in daylight or after dark, either in the countryside or in cities, either in public spaces or in their homes; and they expect that they need not fear for the physical safety of themselves or their loved loves, for their dignity, for their personal possessions or for the community’s or country’s assets. They also expect the police to set an example in the restoration of legal order, respect for societal rules and observance of the law. People working in law enforcement must therefore be unwavering and above reproach.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In times of peace also, police work requires military virtues. As the saying goes, “A soldier’s duty is not to harm, but to prevent harm to others.” In Europe we are living through times in which order, peace and security can no longer be taken for granted. We must make an ever greater effort to maintain the order of the thousands of years of our civilisation. At times like this, peace and order, and the role of their custodians and protectors, become more precious. We Hungarians want to live in peace and security, and therefore in the future we will continue to need – even more than today, bearing in mindEurope’s current situation – brave, well-trained men and women in uniform, who love their country and their nation.
Honourable Oath-takers,
Today you have become members of a body for which the guiding principles are dedication, service and commitment to the Hungarian homeland. My wish is that, true to your oath, you all set a good example to everyone in terms of humanity, determination and respect for the law. I wish you all much strength and good health. God bless you all!
